Course Delivery

Assessment

Assessment Type

Assessment length / details

Proportion

Semester Assessment

Essay 1 (2000 words)

40%

Semester Assessment

Essay 2 (2500 words)

60%

Supplementary Assessment

Essay 1 (2000 words); Essay 2 (2500 words). New Titles
All failed or missing elements must be retaken or made good. In the case of the essay, students will be required to complete a different assignment question to the one originally submitted.

100%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

1. Map out a basic theoretical 'landscape' relating to studies of media, acknowledging key traditions in the field.
2. Describe and explain the nature of the relationship between media forms, media institutions and society.
3. Identify and assess the links between established media theory and contemporary approaches to new media.
4. Demonstrate skills in bibliographic techniques and academic writing conventions.

Content

This module offers a broad-ranging introduction to theories of the media, mapping out a theoretical landscape that is both traditional and ever-evolving in a dynamic and exciting technological world. Debates about the relationship between media forms and institutions, society and its members, will form a core element of the knowledge base established here.

Students will explore the historical roots of contemporary media, gaining understanding of the sociological impact of the mass media (primarily in the UK context but with acknowledgement of globalisation). Students will also investigate the nature of ownership, policy and regulatory structures, and reflect upon the impact that these have on their own familiar media-scapes. Towards the end of the module, particular emphasis will be placed on new media debates, echoing the direction of current academic discourse in the field.

Brief description

This module offers a broad-ranging introduction to theories of the media, mapping out a theoretical landscape that is both traditional and ever-evolving in a dynamic and exciting technological world. Debates about the relationship between media forms and institutions, society and its members, will form a core element of the knowledge base established here.

Students will explore the historical roots of contemporary media, gaining understanding of the sociological impact of the mass media (primarily in the UK context but with acknowledgement of globalisation). Students will also investigate the nature of ownership, policy and regulatory structures, and reflect upon the impact that these have on their own familiar media-scapes. Towards the end of the module, particular emphasis will be placed on new media debates, echoing the direction of current academic discourse in the field.

Module Skills

Skills Type

Skills details

Application of Number

* Students will be given the opportunity to reflect upon basic statistical data (primarily presented in percentages), through encountering key research studies in the field.

Communication

* Students' written communication skills will be developed (e.g. appropriate language and style, accuracy, precision and ability to be concise).
* Opportunities will be given, through interactive lecture-workshop sessions, for students to develop confidence in using their speaking and listening skills when communicating their ideas.

Improving own Learning and Performance

* Students will be able to develop their skills of information location and retrieval.
* Students will be given opportunities to develop effective note-taking skills.
* Students will develop their critical thinking skills.
* Through group and whole class discussion students will be given opportunities to develop an awareness of the opinions of others and reconsider initial ideas if necessary.

Information Technology

* Students will be given the opportunity to develop their authorial anf note-taking skills when planning and preparing for the written assignments, and will be encouraged to develop their note-taking skills in lectures.
* Students will be given opportunities to develop their skills using the electronic search and retrieval of sources both on the web and on the AU LIS.
* Students will develop their skills when referencing from the web and related sources, and will focus on the selection of materials appropriate to task.
* E-mail and Blackboard will be the main forms of communication and information-sharing in this module, so students will be encouraged to actively engage in these processes.

Personal Development and Career planning

* Students will be given the opportunity to evaluate current knowledge and set targets for self-improvement.
* Students will be encouraged to take increasing responsibility for managing their own learning.
* Students will be encouraged to build upon the knowledge gained from lectures through developing skills in self study (supported by the general and specific reading lists and other resources distributed throughout the module).

Problem solving

* Students should be able to identify tensions and debates in the field, and will be encouraged to critically reflect.
* Students should gain experience in applying different approaches and materials to understand data and other patterns in research.

Research skills

* Students will be able to develop their skills of information location and retrieval.
* Students will be given opportunities to develop effective note-taking skills.
* Students will be encouraged to evaluate, interpret and reflect upon a variety of sources, and to make links to accommodate new ideas.

Subject Specific Skills

Team work

* Most sessions will involve group work where students will be able to collaborate through discussion.